John D. Billings, The history of the Tenth Massachusetts battery of light artillery in the war of the rebellion

[142] but at the close of the engagement it seems that he made off to our right instead of our left, as we then supposed, towards Catlett's Station, where he found himself that night in a critical situation. When in Poolsville, Md., in April, 1879, the writer fell in with a member of Stuart's famous troopers who spoke of a fight that occurred in this campaign, not far from Auburn, that he and his associates always called ‘The battle of the Bull Pen.’ His statement concerning it was in substance that Stuart unexpectedly found himself between two of our corps at dusk, and hastily concealed his men in a field hedged in by osage orange, and grown up to old field pines; that they muffled everything which could rattle, held their horses by the bridles, and took every precaution to remain undiscovered; that the conversation of the ‘Yanks’ as they marched along was plainly audible; that many of our men who stepped into the lot were seized, bound, and threatened with instant death if they attempted to give an alarm; that at daylight they pushed their guns up to the edge of the hushes and discharged them among our troops who were encamped near by; and that upon being charged they retreated as best they could, congratulating themselves upon their escape from their serious dilemma. All this and more was told with a very interesting setting of details. Never having heard the incident before, it came as new matter and was forgotten; but while looking up material for this campaign we found his story fully corroborated in all essential points, and that Stuart did, on that very night after his interview with the Third Corps, find himself thus involved.¹ His first resolve was